Profusion of Paisley...

I grew up loving paisley in all of its forms.  I never really noticed that it was particularly preppy but often shows up in overabundance at preppy purveyors of style.  Take a look:  Vera Bradley; Ralph Lauren; Lilly Pulitzer, and of course, J. Crew.

Did you realize that paisley is a form of patterning that is popular in India and the Middle East but actually gets its name from a town in Scotland where the pattern was often replicated in mass production?  Hmm...doesn't sound especially preppy to me, but I will still take it as part of my Preppy uniform.  ;)

So when faced with the task of packing for my cruise/FL trip, I knew I had to bring some paisley with me, if for no other reason than I really really like the patterns.  (How very superficial, but really, it wasn't like I was packing for the G8 Summit...)

The Regal Paisley top saw a lot of action, as did my Nuevo Paisley Tank swimsuit.  One could argue that the two cover-ups I brought with me from Boden could count as paisley, but only if you look at them from far away...although the Pool Party tunic would fool me from close-up, too.

Anyhow, today seems to be an especially good time to show off my paisley passion, as the nuevo paisley tank swimsuit is currently on promo, with 20% off (speaking of swim promos, the Boden swimwear promo is STILL GOING on...it has been nearly a week and I have not a clue when it will end).  Anyhow, I will take the proverbial dip into the embarrassment pool and actually show you all what the swimsuit looks like on me so that way any of you contemplating it can be sure you are choosing wisely.  :) 

(That said, I will show it last because I ain't no fool...I know that my pic shows up in the preview page of the Blogger dashboard, and I prefer at least there I appear more covered up.  LOL.)

You know this was a J. Crew Factory top, right?  I had fallen in love with this print on a swimsuit during the summer of 2009, and when I saw it on a pair of pants and this top in the factory store, I knew I had to have them. 

These A.R. Trapp for J. Crew sunglasses served me well on this trip and I wore them every day.  Definitely coming close to a great cost per wear ratio...which they should considering how expensive they were (AND ARE--they went up by $55 since I bought them, bad J. Crew, bad!).

I chose to pair the paisley top with a double serge cotton skirt (mink) from J. Crew Summer 2010, a trusty pair of Cole Haan sandals that I wear all the time in the summer, and a patent Lolly mini-clutch in a vibrant orange shade that just holds the right amount for a cruise (namely your cruise card--which pays for everything AND gets you into your room AND on and off the ship and maybe a lip polish or two).

I wore this on the first day of the cruise, and I was definitely more dressed up than everyone else.  Does it look like I care?  ;)

Speaking of not caring...within four minutes of the cruise departing, my brother, my dad and I got our drink on.  Yay for cruise drinks!  It is fab to be able to have yummy cocktails and then be within a few floors of your room--no driving required!

The last day of the cruise, the day we were also slated to go to Universal Studios for our first day of fun, I chose to re-wear the paisley top with the golden chino shorts.  This was a much more casual take on the first outfit, but when packing I knew I may want to wear this shirt twice, so I made sure to have a pair of shorts with a complementary color in my possession.

Hey look at that, I am wearing the shoes again.  :) 

Hi, Apu!

And the sunglasses!

The Simpsons ride at Universal is awesome, btw.  It is meant to be like being on an IMAX rollercoaster ride...I actually ended up getting a bit ill from the jostling, but I think my legs were still on sea time, so I blame the ocean for my tummyache.

And the Nuevo Paisley Tank.  It comes in size 0-14, but is currently only available in a few sizes--watch for popbacks, though.  I bought it in a size 6, which was fine for my hips but a bit large in the bust.  I know before the end of the summer I will have to take the straps up as all of my swimwear stretches out I use them that much (you don't want to know how much money I spend on SPF, as well, it is sort of mind-boggling...I am that lady that LATHERS the stuff on, which is what we are ALL supposed to do, I just am always the only one who does it).

The ruching at the waist is very nice, especially if you don't care for your tummy area.  I tend to wear bikinis in the summer, so I really don't have a problem in that area, but I can see the allure of the ruching...it was sort of nice to not have to do the whole "walk stick straight taking short breaths while attempting not to pass out so I can have a concave stomach" look.  Teehee.  All you ladies get me, right?

Close-up of paisley (and ruching) on the tank.  Lovely, yummy pastel colors make me think of ice cream.

Alright, all, go get your paisley on...

P.S. Will Jeck999 e-mail me at dinagideon@aim.com?  YOU WON the fab travel-sized Arbonne giveaway prize!  Yay!

Mommy Style Monday #20--Packing Polyvores Revisted...

Mommy Style Monday #20--Packing Polyvores Revisted... by dinagideon featuring 50s style pencil skirts

I was in the Bahamas for a cruise from Florida. :) After the cruise, we went and hung with our friends in Orlando, which included a TWO (!!!) day stint at Universal Studios Theme Parks (yay, Harry Potter World). Clearly I needed an organized and exactly executed set of items to last me the seven days we were gone.

The ladies who finished in the top four who answered my questions from my last post ALL answered my questions exactly the same. LOL.

For the record, we left out of Port Canaveral, had a four day cruise on the Carnival Sensation, and visited Freeport and Nassau. (Man, now that I know that B'more has multiple cruise ships traveling as far south as the Caribbean, I think I will insist on that as our port from now on!!!)

Now, for the final and last round to determine a winner...would the three ladies mind answering two last questions?

1. Where did we go during our time in Freeport?

and

2. What was my favorite dessert that the Carnival line offered?

(So hard, I know, but you three aren't going to be answering the same here, right? LOL.)

To see my original Mommy Style Monday with how I plan and pack for trips, see this post.  To see how I specifically packed for my last trip to Florida (we go there A LOT!), see this post.

The colors for this year's trip, btw, were hot pink, orange, and khaki. (With others thrown in for good measure, obviously.)

I do want to make a special shout-out to clothing with a bit of stretch for when you are cruising.  Let's just say that even if you make the world's most concerted effort NOT TO GAIN WEIGHT, there will be days when the bloating and water weight just takes over.  All of these items felt great, no matter what.  (Well, except the Milly lace dress, but I will explain that in another post...)

There will be many pics coming up from this trip, but I will show you the one from when I hung out with my brother one night drinking. (Good times, that!)

It features the khaki shorts, the Cole Haan sandals, and the button back striped tee.

You all have a great night.

P.S. My ladies in the running for the contest, you have until tomorrow night at 9 pm to get your answers in!!! :)

How Did I Get There? (Part Two!) Featuring the Jersey Beach Dress and a Kalik.

Part of the collage from this post featured both this dress and this drink.  The drink is a Kalik, which means I was in the Bahamas.  There were enough of you that guessed exactly where I was that I need to have a part two of my contest.  Good show!

Umm, not done, though...contest plus an actual blog post to follow!

Okay, Jeck999, Rose (with 1MoreShoppingBlog), Dominique, and JulieBean, you all guessed the Bahamas correctly.  Some of the ladies guessed a cruise, which is true, too, but a cruise isn't specific enough to be in the running for the prize.  Now if someone had said a "cruise to the Bahamas," that person would have won, hands down. 

SO...

Jeck999, Rose, Dominique, and JulieBean...I need the four of you to tell me:

1. Which Cruise Line I took to get to the Bahamas;

2. How many days was the cruise;

3. What were my ports of call;

and

4. What was the cruise's departure port (city and state, please).

This is bound to get a winner, and I look forward to seeing what your answers are...

You have until tomorrow at noon Eastern Time to get your answers in...

For the prize?

This lovely little set of travel-sized goodies from Arbonne, which includes RE9 Advanced Smoothing Facial Cleanser, Corrective Eye Creme, and Night Repair Creme.  It also includes some "aah-worthy" spa travel sized products, perfect for getting your relaxation on, like the SeaSource Detox Spa Detoxifying Rescue Wash, Renewing Body Gelée and Purifying Sea Soak (1 full-size packet).   I used these on my trip and they lasted the entire time (except the sea soak--no tubs on a cruise).

Good luck!

For the rest of you...I am wearing a dress you all have seen before.  Turns out this dress is also the PERFECT beach cover-up (which may be where it gets its name from).

Jersey Beach Dress.  On me before we left for the day.  I am wearing the Nuevo Paisley Tank Suit underneath, but you won't see that until later on this week when I actually get some time to do real posts on my cruise vacation.

The flip-flops are J. Crew from Summer 2010, size 9.

My dad had a balcony, lucky man.  It is REALLY hard to wake up without any natural light whatsoever (we had the bane of cruise customers everywhere--the interior stateroom).  We totally abused the privilege of being related to someone with a balcony, as we were constantly on it. 

Here you get a nice close-up of the ruffled collar AND the lovely view of one of the places we docked.

I am standing in front of our ship.  That said, I totally edited out the name of the ship...haha.  ;)


The Jersey Beach dress also comes in a more abstract colored pattern and a blue version of the one I am wearing.

So it turns out that Boden *is* having a promo on their swimwear...which means that the 15% maternity coupon can be used on top of the promo, making it a stackable offer.  (Yay!)  I will most likely do my picks, etc., tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that post!

For those of you AMAZING ladies who have done a Boden review recently, I am foreseeing a very long and involved Boden Weekly Review Roundup this week to make up for last week's absence.  Please do let me know if you have one that I may have missed!!! THANKS!

Have a WONDERFUL and satisfying Mother's Day, by the way!!!  ;)

Rough Day. Blegh.

Only thing keeping me going today.  God bless the Bahamas.  And cruises.

RESOLUTION:  

 Well, I didn't see my account was all flush with the money I should have, so I am now currently on the phone with a very nice British lady (sometimes I get an American, sometimes I get a British person when I call the US 866 number) who is "looking into the matter with her manager," who says that they have canceled the authorization for the whole amount. Well, good. ;) I now just have to talk to my bank. Will a lovely British lady or a smooth American gentleman help me with my issues when I call them? Doubtful.

So two thumbs up for Boden. Thank goodness. I didn't want to lose faith in good ole Johnnie!

ORIGINAL POST:
Okay.  So tell me.  Do any of you ever pre-order using a check card?  Well, I do.  And I must be downright stupid to do so because it turns out that some companies (cough, cough Boden, I am looking at you) will steal all your money "hold" not only the WHOLE amount of your pre-order but also ALSO the individual amounts of each shipped package.

Wha-wha-what???

Imagine...

You pre-order $350 worth of items.

Woo-hoo, right?

Nope.  Not only do the pre-ordered items come THREE. WEEKS. EARLY., they also will be charged twice.  So that $115 dollar dress becomes $230 until Boden decides to officially drop the WHOLE amount charge.

Okay, excuse me while I go weep.  And cry.  And go to the bank and say OMG...how much am I being charged?  You mean I am in NEGATIVE numbers because I was charged twice?  And now I OWE YOU...the bank...$72 in overdraft because I was charged TWO TIMES for that pre-order that came early EARLY and every day that a new "shipped parcel" ships and the original WHOLE amount doesn't clear, I will be charged an ADDITIONAL $72?

Excuse me,  I am off to go drink a WHOLE LOT OF WINE.  I guess I am going to take the bus home from the bank.  Good thing that Thai restaurant next door has a great wine list...

So.  Unless Boden clears my WHOLE amount charge tonight (which they swear they will do, come on CS Brian, don't let me down), I will be charged ANOTHER $72?  Oh, dear me, I need a massage.

Okay.

(The $350 is hypothetical, btw, just letting you have a visual):

$350 original order...

$125 shipped parcel #1...

$75 shipped parcel #2...

$150 shipped parcel #3...

$72 overdraft penalty #1...

$72 overdraft penalty $2...

means that I will be paying (if it doesn't clear and the overdraft fee is still there for two days)...

$844 for a $350 order.  I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I went ahead and purchased early, on my check card, because I was trying to be both a coupon user (20% off all preorders) and "fiscally responsible" by not using a credit card.  All I wanted was my order to ship properly, ON TIME, and not have any craziness associated with it.

Turns out this probably happens with credit cards, but because credit cards have billing cycles, you wouldn't even notice all this malarky happening because unless you are a big time financially savvy person, you don't watch your credit card balance daily, but I bet, like me, you are WAY on top of your bank account.

In reality, the most this hypothetical order would pay would be $350 plus $72 plus $72 which equals $494.  Let's see.  $494 minus 20% equals: $395.20.  Hey look at that!  Because of overdraft penalties...this hypothetical order would BE MORE EXPENSIVE than not pre-ordering at all.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Supposedly, the $72 charge (from today) will be credited.  I have sent a copy of my bank account debits, etc., but have I received word that I will get the credit?  Nah.  Good job, Johnnie B.  Let's really REALLY tick off a HUGE Boden fan.  (Like, hello???) Okay, update: Just received e-mail where they called me the wrong first name, but at this point, I have bigger fish to fry.  She was sympathetic to my issues but said that someone would get back to me by Monday with a conclusion.  Meaning nothing is set in stone and I could really be out that $72.  I feel sick to my stomach because I want to NOT use credit cards and because of that, I may end up getting hurt with way worse fees than what you would have on a credit card.  Le freaking sigh.

And supposedly, they will be taking that original WHOLE order amount off tonight.

IF I WAKE UP TOMORROW AND MY ACCOUNT IS STILL IN NEGATIVE NUMBERS, I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL PHONE CALL.  WHICH WILL BE PAID FOR BY BODEN.  LOL.  Maybe I will call collect.

"USA calling UK, do you accept the charges from an irate Virginian?"

Did I also mention that I forgot to put my car in "park," and my car upon me trying to start it told me I couldn't because the "steering column was locked?"  Yes, that reads to me: DUMMY, get your car out of "D" and put it into "P" before starting the car.  Stupid German vehicle.

I need wine. Now.  ;)

Anyhow, I will hopefully be all back to Boden bliss tomorrow, but for now, hit list time.

If you use a check card for any Boden pre-orders, caveat emptor.  CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Let's Enthrall You All with Some Vacation Outfits (Part One--The Bahamas)...

I am so tired (it is 11:35 pm here on the east coast), so I am not going to bore you all with a ton of details about the trip to Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas that our family made in mid-October. Suffice it to say, IT WAS AWESOME. I will explain why it was so awesome in another post (expect it around Thanksgiving when I will be looking for fun things to do...plus maybe this way my sweet mother-in-law can help me pick out photos for the Family Fun in the Bahamas post).

This post will simply be a showcase of all outfits I wore on this trip (and the very next post--except that one will be North Carolina in the fall) .

I am going to comment back on the last post tomorrow in the am, and also create the next post, so expect to see that soon. BTW, one of you all asked about when Boden has their Winter stuff on sale. I can't say with 100% certainty but I do know the Spring Preview stuff I ordered is supposed to ship out mid-January. That makes me think the new stuff will be on-line in mid-January, and that the older fall/winter stuff will be on sale when that happens!!! Hope that helps...

Onward to the outfits! I will only give pertinent info. If you have questions about something, please ask in the comments!!! :)


Sweater: Ralph Lauren Spring 2008, light yellow.
Shorts: J. Crew Spring 2009, madras plaid.
Flip-Flops: J. Crew Spring 2009, sunshine yellow?.
Necklace: J. Crew Spring 2009, in-store color only, light guava?.


Cover-up: J. Crew Spring 2009, Tea Rose (you have seen before).
Flip-Flops: J. Crew Spring 2009, Metallic Atlantic.
Swimsuit (under): Patagonia Summer 2008, some pretty blue print.


Dress: J. Crew Summer 2008, citron (you have seen this one, too).
Flip-Flops: See last outfit.
Earrings: J. Crew Fall 2009, Flora earrings :) FREE!


Okay, you might be getting weary, and because I teach, you always throw something in to break up the mundane. So here I am holding CW on my lap in the HUGE king's chair at Atlantis. At 5'8" it is rare for me to feel small. Darn Rex didn't want to be in the photo...but next time (and there will be a next time)...hopefully all four of us can get in the seat together! :)


Top: J. Crew Summer 2009, Caspian Blue.
Shorts: J. Crew Spring 2009, Tulip?.
Sandals: J. Crew Summer 2009, Metallic Silver.


Same outfit as in the king's chair with CW.
Cover-up: Boden Summer 2009, Multi-Color Print (Mr. Dina REALLY loved this cover-up--I think he wants me to wear it as a dress sometime...).
Flip-Flops: Same as outfit #1.


Top: Ann Taylor Loft Spring 2009 (I think), Floral Multi Print (you have seen this before).
Shorts: J. Crew Spring 2006, Brown (and you have seen these).
Flip-Flops: Same as outfit #2.
Cuteness: CW.


Cardigan: J. Crew Summer 2009, Linen Seafront Cardigan, Wheat? (you saw this recently, as well).
Tank: J. Crew Summer 2008, Bright Citron.
Shorts: J. Crew Spring 2009, Khaki.
Flip-Flops: Same as outfit #1.


THIS PHOTO GOT SCREWED UP IN TRANSMISSION--ERGH. If you click on it, all you will see is an error message. Too darn tired to care right now. ;)
Cover-up/Dress: Alice and Trixie maybe Spring or Summer 2008, Silver and Sage.
Sandals: Same as outfit #4.
Swimsuit: J. Crew Spring 2009, Pacific Blue. (They have Caspian blue, Metallic Atlantic, and Pacific blue. I expect to see Arctic Freeze, Southern Ocean Seascape, and Indian Ocean Ink soon...I copyright them RIGHT now, J. Crew...)

Have a great Sunday all. Talk soon!